Nasarawa Deputy Governor explains why he dumped APC for PDP

The Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Damishi Barau, who recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, spoke to some journalists on his experience in the All Progressives Congress, APC. He also accused the state governor Umaru Al-Makura of moving against him.

Mr. Barau spoke in Nasarawa on Wednesday. He gave reasons for his defection and said he was not induced by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Read the full interview below.

Q: How has life been since your defection to the PDP?

Ans: To be precise, I want to thank God for the development and as I said previously, I’m aware of the consequences of such a decision; both the good and the bad.

What I know is that I’m convinced beyond reasonable doubt in mind that I ought to take this decision and I took it. I want to assure you because of that conviction I have no reason to lose sleep on issues that may be associated with this defection. So, in a nutshell, for me it has been peaceful in my mind and gladdened my heart that I did what I did and I feel very comfortable.

Q: How has your relationship with the governor been since then?

Ans: We parted ways in terms of political ideologies but in terms of governing our people, my spirit is intact with the governor. At the same time, the governor has the discretion to assign responsibility to me as his deputy and if he feels otherwise I’m still comfortable because the constitution is clear about my functions.

Q: Have you been assigned any responsibility since your defection?

Ans: I have not received any message from the governor but I hope it will come.

Q: What is your relationship with the assembly since you defected?

Ans: It has not changed. You know I’m a member of that constituency. And since the inception of this administration they look up to me as a father as far as their constituency is concerned because I was there before as the first majority leader of the state assembly.

So, there are lots of things they learn from me and I also learn from them. Our relationship has been very cordial. More so, that I have come back to the party of the majority in the house, they saw me more as a father from the moment I defected.

Q: What do you say to the accusations that you betrayed the governor by your defection, especially after he made you what you are today and even paid your medical bills overseas before the general elections in 2011?

Ans: Well, as far as I’m concerned, from the day I defected to the PDP I knew such write-ups will crop up and my judgment about them is simple: impression of pains for the loss of a valuable thing that you have – that is the summary. However, I think the authors of these write-ups are deliberately positioning themselves. Having certified that they have lost something valuable, they are now looking for ways of destroying that valuable thing so that it will not become useful to itself. But, unfortunately, they are talking to somebody who knows what he is doing and equally knows much about them.

Let me say in clear terms, I’m aware government sponsors all these write-ups, which is why I say they are doing it out of pain and I don’t want to join issues with them. However, one fact that I must state here is, to add to my assertion on the day of leaving APC. I said I was tired of dealing with liars and in falsehood; and what they did in those write-ups was to exhibit those vices that I said I hated, which made me leave them. You can see, even when I left they were still exhibiting those characters which I think has vindicated me.

Read more: http://kaaf.com/2014/03/INTERVIEW--Why-I-dumped-APC-for-PDP--Nasarawa-Deputy-Governor-556016